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Greetings from Ouray, Colorado which is located in the Southwest part of the state. This quaint little town is situated in a valley between some impressive 13,000 ft peaks. According to their web site Ouray is commonly referred to as the “Switzerland of America”. We rode into Ouray in the dark from Durango, CO on hwy 550. This road reached elevations of 11,000 ft and the entire 40 miles or so was without guardrails!! Temps were in the low 40′s at that elevation and there was plenty of snow. The deer were out grazing and roaming in the road. Several ran in front of us on a couple occasions but no real close call since we kept the speeds reasonable.

After we broke camp in Moab, UT we rode through the Arches National Park. This park is better suited for hiking and spending a couple days exploring. We were able to only see two arches from the roads/parking areas.

We then headed south toward the Four Corners. This is the exact location where four states meet…Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. That sure was a tourist trap but was cool to see and get a photo standing in four states at the same time. It was hot way out there in the desert. My temp gauge on the bike read 100. The air was dry so in the shade it was comfortable but in the sun it was no fun at all. In some parts of the desert area they have “open ranges” which are where all cattle and horses run free….no fences! We saw a group of horses grazing in what little grass they could find right next to the road. I got an uneasy feeling knowing that they could get spooked and run in the road. There was even a horse walking down the side of the road in a small town. Very strange to see a horse walking around as if it were a stray dog.

After eating dinner at Denny’s in Durango, Dave had an issue leaving the parking lot. There was a relatively large rise from where the road met the gutter. As he rolled over the rise, the weight shifted suddenly and he couldn’t hold it so over she went. Other than a ding on the ole pride meter, a small scratch on the right side bag was the only casualty.

Tomorrow we will head to Colorado Springs and ride to the top of Pike’s Peak. From there it looks like we will be starting the journey home. When I get home and rest for a couple days, I will post lots of pictures. Thanks for following along!!

Oh, we hit the 4,000 mile mark today. So the estimated 5,500 is looking to be right on track.